Rioja is Spain’s most diverse and misunderstood wine region. People often talk about just two main styles – so-called modern and traditional – but it’s way more complicated and exciting than that. There really is a Rioja for everyone. For this, my seventh detailed look at the region, I was delighted to be able to return to the area for 19 days in the second half of 2021. I covered 3,500 km, visiting 126 estates and tasting just shy of 1,400 wines. All those that merited 90 points or above are featured with tasting notes in the report.
It is my most in-depth Rioja report yet, running to 216 pages and including regular features such as my Podium of the best wines and wine people of the year, as well as my classification (which always arouses plenty of debate) of the top 200 estates. I hope you find it as rewarding to read as I did to write.
